2014-01-11 Cass PatB JackF at KU camp-900w.jpg / 2014-01-11 scrum at KU camp-900w.jpg
Left: Coaches Keith Cassidy, Pat Boyle, Jack Foley planning / Right: Reviewing the basics of 7s scrummaging

Although the weather didn't keep us from going to Kutztown for this camp, we weren't so lucky when it came to arrival time in Las Vegas. Caught in another snowstorm, several people were late and manager Dan Currie didn't make it at all. For me (also stuck in PA for more than a day), the saddest part of this delay was that we lost the opportunity to get all Atlantis teams (5 of them: boys, girls, women and 2 men) together for a meal on Wednesday night, as planned.  This was an event I'd really been looking forward to. Nevertheless, as their games didn't start until Friday, they were able to practice on Thursday.

Player Name	7s Pos.	Jersey	Atlantis Number	Gender Number	Age	Club
Ryan Bradfield	P	VI	957	589	17	St. Edward HS (OH)
Connor Cassidy	F,S	VIII	958	590	18	Malvern Prep (PA)
Raekwon Caswell	W	V	959	591	17	LaSalle College HS (PA)
Mike Dabulas	H	IX	960	592	17	Union Mudturtles (NJ)
Mike Eife	H,P	II	961	593	18	Penn State U.
Alex Galantino	P	III	962	594		Malvern Prep (PA)
Joe Kelly	P	I	963	595	18	Penn State U
Ryan Kilgallen	W	VII	964	596	18	Penn State U
Ryan Maguire	C,P	XII	965	597	18	Cumberland Valley (PA)
Aeden Mangan	C	X	966	598	17	St. Ignatius HS (OH)
Manny Soto	S	XI	967	599		Exeter HS (PA)
Cale Williams	S	IV	968	600	16	New York RC

 

Jack Foley was the coach, assisted by Keith Cassidy. Manager Dan Currie was not onsite, having been stuck in Philadelphia's storm.  Overall management for the 5 squads was done by Biddy Boyle, Emil Signes came as Emperor.

 

Day 1: Pool Matches.  Atlantis played its pool matches at Heritage Park, a 15-minute ride from Sam Boyd Stadium, on Friday.

Atlantis 26 British Columbia-2 12.  Following delays due to winter weather on the eastern seaboard, the team finally assembled on Thursday morning, January 23. The boys quickly worked together over two strong practice sessions, and entering Friday morning seemed confident. The opening game against the British Columbia Youth 2's started strong, with good ball movement by Cale Williams leading to athletic tries by Joe Kelly and Mike Eife. Atlantis continued their strong play through the second half, winning 26-12 on tries by Connor Cassidy and Manny Soto.




Atlantis 14 USA 29.  The second match of the day against the U.S. High School All-Americans began with some of the best rugby of the weekend.  We dominated possession, moved the ball with pace and skill, and showed great athleticism in tries by Mike Eife and Ryan Kilgallen. At the half we led 14-10.  In the second half Atlantis faced pressure on deep kicks from the U.S. and made too many critical mistakes near our own tryline that led to 19 unanswered points.  The game ended 14-29.

Atlantis 15 Northern California 26. In our 3rd contest the Northern California squad came out strong and dominated possession from the opening kickoff, building a 19-0 lead following several turnovers on our part.  Not letting up, we were able to fight back and finish a try just before halftime, with the score standing 5-19.  In the second half we played with much more intensity, maintained possession, and cleaned up the mistakes from the first 7 minutes. Unfortunately, the boys couldn’t pull off the comeback, losing 15-26.


Atlantis 21 Toronto 15.  After a two hour wait, the final game against Toronto gave us a chance to make up for the previous losses.  Manny Soto scored an athletic try off a turnover in the 2nd minute, but the remainder of the half was a scrappy, hard-fought contest that ended 7-5.  In the second half Toronto continued to pressure us with a 7-man defense, eventually building a 7-15 lead with under two minutes to play.  Off the next kickoff we settled down, and after moving the ball quickly down the line, Raekwon Caswell burst through two Toronto tacklers and finished a 70 meter try under the posts that was quickly converted.  With under a minute to play Atlantis played great pressure defense, forcing Toronto into their try zone. Following a panicked kick from the Canadians to relieve pressure, Manny Soto quickly passed the ball to Mike Eife who scored the final try with no time left on the clock for a 21-15 victory. It was a great comeback and win for the players. 






Day 2: Elimination Matches.  Atlantis played its elimination matches on Saturday at Star Nursery fields.

Atlantis 33 Washington Loggers 7.  Sunday morning against the Washington Loggers was the team’s best overall performance.  We dominated possession, moved the ball quickly and efficiently, and built on a 12-7 halftime lead to finish the game running away 33-14.  Ryan Kilgallen led the team with 3 tries in the contest. 


Atlantis 12 USA-2 26. Our final match against the United States All-American 2’s began much the same way as we did on Saturday, dominating possession to build a 12-7 halftime lead.  In the second half the U.S. was able to use excellent kickoffs to pressure our possession and force turnovers near the tryline, building a 12-19 lead.  With no time left Atlantis created one last opportunity to tie the game but fell short.  The final score was 12-26.

The overall result of the weekend was outstanding.  To finish 3-3 while playing for the first time against teams of this calibre is an excellent accomplishment, and these players should be proud of the way they played on the field and their camaraderie off it. This group of young men was chosen after participating in an Atlantis 7’s camp in Delaware during the fall of 2013.  The coaches/selectors included, among others, the following: Salty Thompson, the U.S. U-19 National team Coach; Emil Signes, Former Men’s and Women’s National Team coach and Atlantis founder; Bill Boyle, who coached the University of Delaware to the Collegiate CRC 7’s Final 4; David Niu, former international Australian and U.S. Flyhalf in both rugby union and rugby league; and Keith Cassidy, former U.S. Rugby League international and the most capped Atlantis 7’s men’s player. We also identified players representing Pennsylvania at the New York 7’s in November. We look to continue to identify and develop talented young players, put them against the best competition we can find, and prepare them to succeed at the collegiate and national level.